Win a writing holiday on Skyros

To mark National Poetry Day (next Thursday, 5 October), the Arts Council of England is currently running a promotion of Contemporary Poetry in selected bookshops. It features books by 10 of the finest British poets writing today: Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Kathleen Jamie, Jackie Kay, Mimi Khalvati, Paula Meehan, Don Paterson, Tom Paulin, Owen Sheers and George Szirtes.

To mark National Poetry Day (next Thursday, 5 October), the Arts Council of England is currently running a promotion of Contemporary Poetry in selected bookshops. It features books by 10 of the finest British poets writing today: Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Kathleen Jamie, Jackie Kay, Mimi Khalvati, Paula Meehan, Don Paterson, Tom Paulin, Owen Sheers and George Szirtes.

And there's a further cause for poetic celebration this week. Independent readers can win a holiday and writing course on the Greek island of Skyros next spring.

Skyros, Europe's first alternative holiday centre and world leader in the field, will offer the winner a prize of two weeks' holiday, with a creative-writing course, on Skyros in spring 2001. The return flight will be supplied by Griffin Travel, which specialises in discounted fares to Greece.

Booking is subject to availability and to certain conditions. The winner will also receive an annual membership of The Poetry Society and a charter membership of The Poetry Book Society. Six runners-up will receive a poetry book of their choice from one of the six publishers taking part in the Contemporary Poetry promotion.

To enter, simply compose a limerick (five lines) on the subject of "Time". To get you in the mood, Carol Ann Duffy (editor of the Anvil Press anthology Time's Tidings, also featured in the promotion) has already tried her hand:

Tick tick tick, tock tock tock, tick tock tick. The saying in Latin goes Sic transit gloria mundi thus, from Monday to Sunday, tick tick tick, tock tock tock, tick tock tick.

The closing date is 31 October 2000. Please send your answers on a postcard, with name and address, to: Contemporary Poetry, PO Box 30475, London NW6 6FX

Terms and conditions: 1. Instructions form part of the rules. 2. Only UK residents aged 18 and over may enter. 3. The closing date is 31.10.2000. The winning entry is the one judged the best and the judges' decision is final. 4. No correspondence will be entered into. 5. All normal Independent competition rules apply.